A Ukrainian court on Thursday began proceedings in the tax evasion trial of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko who announced that she would not be able attend due to health concerns. Tymoshenko is charged with misappropriating funds during her service as prime minister in 1997. Earlier this month, Ukraine's Office …

Federal Judge Denise Cote on Wednesday dismissed a securities lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and 41 other defendants claiming that the banks helped mislead investors in the $12.2 billion stock offering by General Electric Co. (GE) back in October 2008. The claims, filed by investors in the US District Court …

A court in Kazakhstan sentenced 47 individuals to 15-year prison terms Thursday on charges relating to terrorist attacks and financing extremist activities. The convicted individuals are alleged to be members of a terrorist group and were subjected to a month-long trial, beginning in March and ending Wednesday. The violence presented a threat to the administration …

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern on Wednesday over the new wave of arrests targeted at high-ranking officials within Mali. BAn demanded immediate release of those who had been imprisoned and asked that the junta stop all further arrests. He stated that these actions directly conflicted with the steps Mali has taken to re-establish constitutional …

A former Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice judge accused the Venezuelan government on Thursday of improperly interfering with judicial decisions in a televised interview. In the interview conducted in the US, former Venezuelan Justice Eladio Aponte Aponte said that judges in Venezuela make their decisions based on government instructions. Aponte said "I …

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Wednesday wrote an open letter to all UN member states urging them to consider the protection of human rights in their negotiations during the upcoming Rio+20 Conference where the nations will discuss international plans to further sustainable development. Pillay's letter warns …

Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) urged Azerbaijani authorities on Tuesday to conduct an investigation into the violent attack by police and security personnel against journalist Idrak Abbasov. Abbasov was beaten by the state energy company while filming the unlawful demolition of a house near the …

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter on whether the federal government must pay American Indian tribes all contract-related costs incurred under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, even when those costs exceed the funds that the government promised would be available …

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday in Kappos v. Hyatt that a patent applicant pursuing a 35 USC § 145 claim may introduce new evidence that could have been presented to the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) in the first instance. When the PTO denies an application for …

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday in Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority that political organizations including the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization are immune from liability under the Torture Victims Protection Act of 1992 (TVPA). The petitioners, relatives of a US citizen who was purportedly tortured and killed by Palestinian …

Canadian Guantanamo Bay detainee and convict Omar Khadr on Wednesday sent an application to the Canadian government requesting a transfer to his home state from the US military detention facility. In 2010 Khadr pleaded guilty to five charges in a military tribunal, including killing a US soldier in Afghanistan in …